New York Comic Con 2018 was fast approaching. I thought to myself — if I could cosplay anyone who would it be? “Simple,” I said to myself, “Elon Musk.”

Unfortunately, I don’t quite have the body type to pull that off. So as a space enthusiast, I chose the next best thing — the SpaceX IVA suit. This is their newest suit design, and I absolutely love their take on sleek and well-tailored space wear.

The suit also made it’s debut during the Falcon Heavy Launch, depositing an astronaut dummy named Starman (who’s now cruising in orbit with a cherry-red Tesla). I couldn’t even imagine how amazing the suit would feel to wear — so I had to make one for myself. Cosplay? Starman.

MAKING THE SUIT

My first step was to find all available references to figure out what I had just signed myself up for. At that time, there weren’t many, so I had to take a few liberties when it came to the fabric types, and features that couldn’t be explained.

After I had sketched and patterned out the suit pieces, I gathered lots of materials: fabrics, foam, glues, paints, plastic, and window tint. This would require quite a bit of problem solving.

The suit was machine sewn, and I ended up making the helmet out of EVA foam. It was finished with joint compound, and spray paint. I chose window-tinted film because it was reflective and black, plus I could still see through from the interior.

Only a few other con-goers were able to recognize the cosplay (with some prompting and hints). But what made up for the fact is that I met one of my absolute hero’s ADAM SAVAGE! He was doing “Adam Incognito”, and I was the first to spot him on the convention floor.

Highlight of my YEAR. Not to mention one of my life-long goals of being on Adam’s Youtube series ‘Tested’ was achieved way earlier than I ever could have dreamed.

You can find me fangirling at 9:55, and the awesome shout-out at 13:35!